3 Trends That Defined IFSEC 2013

IFSEC International is unmistakably one of the most important events for all security professionals.

It is here that, for one week every year, the leading lights of the security industry come together under one roof to demonstrate technologies and future market trends. IFSEC 2013 was no different.

After many discussions across the week with customers, partners, and industry commentators alike, the recurring conversations were most definitely around the topics of cloud services, mobile access, and integration.

These three areas are undoubtedly driving innovation and development within the security industry, responding to a need for security solutions that can be remotely managed, are available anywhere at any time, provide key technical benefits, and help end users manage their businesses and budgets.

Whilst all three of these trends are interconnected, and none should be developed alone, for the purposes of this article, I will look to address each one in turn.

The cloud

Over the past five years, the cloud has passed into the business (and consumer) lexicon. It’s easy to see why. Flexible, scalable applications delivered as a service and on demand have reduced the up-front capital expenditures an organisation must make to implement a range of solutions. Systems can morph quickly according to business requirements, and security systems are no exception.

For example, video solutions hosted in the cloud allow any business — an office, a retail store, or a hotel, for example — to pay for a specific set of monitoring and storage services that perfectly matches its needs. These services can be implemented, turned on or off, and scaled up or down quickly to adapt to the organisation’s changing requirements and the space where its employees operate.

The cloud is delivering more cost-efficient, flexible, and scalable solutions. This is a huge benefit for end users and an area of business opportunity for installers. Almost every conversation I had at IFSEC 2013 suggested that demand for cloud services in our sector will continue to grow aggressively for the foreseeable future.

Integration

Lowering capital investment is also an important business case for the second of our three megatrends: integration. In today’s tough economic environment with tighter budgets and more scrutiny on spending, a CFO needs to be reassured that investments are adequately future proofed. Integration is one of the easiest ways of ensuring that a purchase will deliver return on investment against the total cost of ownership, providing flexibility and scalability for cost-effective evolution in line with company requirements.

Cost aside, integration also provides more visibility and control over multiple systems. With IP adoption continuing to increase, security managers demand and expect security systems (access, intruder, CCTV) not only to talk to one another, but also to enable easy integration with other applications, like HR or building management systems.

Mobile

Cloud-based solutions — accessible through any Internet connection — and the increasing demand for integration are also making mobile technology more important. From a cloud perspective, giving security managers quick access to video surveillance systems anywhere at any time is a huge advantage, particularly if the individual is regularly offsite. Rather than worrying about potential issues back at the base, the manager can log in from a smartphone or tablet for instant peace of mind — an important benefit for any security professional.

IFSEC 2013 reconfirmed that, as an industry, we are continuing the drive toward a more customer-centric approach to delivering value-added services. As manufacturers, we need to continue to focus on our product offerings and focus on change through innovation. At Honeywell, we strive to ensure that our customers have access to and take advantage of the opportunities that continue to arise from cloud-based services, mobile, and, most importantly, integrated solutions.